Jon boat size/width?

[kLuo]

Hey guys,

I am looking to buy a jon boat that I will be able to put on the roof of a car, or in the back of a minivan after I put all the seats down. I plan on fishing in a state park that does not allow trailers, so I need a boat that is light and as stable as possible.

I am looking to buy a 12' jon boat, but am unsure if I should get a wide bottom one or not. There will be two of us fishing, and we weigh a total of 330 lbs. I will also be bringing along a trolling motor with the battery in the boat. How stable is a jon boat with a 31" bottom? I would feel a lot more comfortable with at least a 36" bottom, but a 31" weighs 90 lbs, while a 36" weighs 130 lbs.

Can someone give me some insight? I would like to be able to stand in the boat without going for a swim!

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I will also be bringing along a trolling motor with the battery in the boat. How stable is a jon boat with a 31" bottom? I would feel a lot more comfortable with at least a 36" bottom, but a 31" weighs 90 lbs, while a 36" weighs 130 lbs.

I would certainly hope the battery is in the boat, unless you've got a really long extension cord 

31" bottom won't be all that stable, especially if you plan on standing in it.  If you've got the cash, get the 36".  The extra weight is negligible with two people.  It's only an extra 20 pounds a person.  Unless you're really out of shape, or just plain old you guys should be able to manage moving a 130 pound boat out of the back of a van or off the roof of a car.

All that being said, I would still be cautious standing in a 36" wide jon.  Make sure your partner knows when you plan on shifting the weight around so he/she can balance it out.

[Raul]

12 ft long x 36" width is what I got, 5 inches doesn 't sopund like much but it 's world of difference, not only in weight carring capacity but also on stability, also doesn 't add up much to the boat weight and it can be cartopped easily by 2 persons, not that it can 't be done by you alone but 12 ft in length is still 12 ft in length.

[bassmanET]

I had a similar post a couple of months ago.

Didn't want to bother with trailer, have a minivan with roof rack. I looked at so many boats my head was spinning . I finally found a used crawdad with trailer, trolling motor, battery & seats for $600. Withe the money I saved I just bought a trailer hitch & waiting for this *&*(^* snow & cold weather to pass to try it out!

If you can't use a trailer look for something like the crawdad it has a max cap of 395#, it weights about 100# & is 11'2' L x 48" w. You may want to consider a bass raider or bass hunter 10'. Much more stable & holds a lot more weight. Their not too heavy. With 2 people I'm sure you can get up in the roof. But with minivan inside would be easier.

[MSPbass]

I had a jon with a 31" bottom.  It gets you on the water, but it's not something I would recommend if you have other options.  I was super excited about mine it at first, but it was terribly unstable. It only took two outings before I knew it wasn't going to work for me.

[Luke at Gouldsboro]

i have a 14 ft x 32 inch tracker Jon boat. It's pretty heavy for one person, It's difficult to keep balance while standing, especially if someone is with you. I'd say wider is better, but you might not be able to transport it